Ross's Big Shock
by Jrasruck2
Summary: Ross comes home to the last thing he ever expected
1. Chapter 1

He threw the keys down on his Pottery Barn coffee table, and fell into the couch. He had been looking forward all day to the documentary about Velocoraptors that was to air on the Learning channel. That was at eight though. Ross looked at his watch. 6:30. An hour and a half to wait. As Ross began to flip through the channels to kill time, there was a faint knock at his door. Nothing could prepare him for the journey that would be started by his answering the door.  
  
A woman, blond hair, probably about 35, stood at the door, holding the hand of a small child.   
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
"I hope so, are you Ross Gellar?"  
  
"Yeah, that's me. I'm...Ross."  
  
"Yeah, well a guy came by while you were gone and left this for you."  
  
"Left what for me?"  
  
"This," she said again, tugging at the kid.  
  
Ross did his trademark nervous Ross laugh. "That's not my kid. Is this a joke?"  
  
"No. The guy seemed pretty serious. He said this kid is supposed to stay with Ross Gellar tonight."  
  
"Wait, you're serious? A random guy, a stranger, came by while I was gone and said that this kid was supposed to stay with me tonight?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"I can't believe this. Ok, leave him here, I'll find out what I can. What did the guy look like?"  
  
"Kind of short and stalky, bushy brown hair, British accent, middle-aged."  
  
"I don't know ANYBODY like that. Ok, well, thanks...I guess."  
  
"No problem."  
  
She left, left Ross in a daze, and with a kid he didn't know from Adam, and a description that rang no bells.  
  
***  
  
Ross babysat the kid for the night, which wasn't long since the kid, whose name turned out to be Timmy, was out like a baby by the time the Velocoraptor show was half over. Timmy slept on the couch that night.  
  
The next morning, while eating breakfast, Ross questioned the six-year-old.   
  
"Timmy, where did you come from?"  
  
"Home."  
  
"Where's home?"  
  
Timmy shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"What, you don't know, where you live?"  
  
"I live in New York."  
  
"But where in New York?"  
  
"A building."  
  
Ross realized that the kid didn't have any understanding of where he lived other than in a general sense.  
  
"Ok, do you know why you're here?"  
  
"Mommy told me not to tell that to anyone while we're apart."  
  
Ross was thouroughly freaked out now. He decided that this wasn't his problem. He'd never seen the kid before in his life. After breakfast, Ross took Timmy to a shelter for orphaned children. It took a few hours for the place to accept the kid, so Ross missed his first two classes of the day. He never stopped thinking about the freaky events of the passed night and morning. This, combined with the fact that he missed Rachel and Emma, who were gone for a few days on Dr. Greene's boat, caused Ross to be preoccupied the whole day. This was obvious as many of his pothead-students kept asking, 'Supityu?'  
  
As it turned out, Ross wouldn't be worrying for much longer.  
  
As he walked into his apartement that evening, he found a typewritten letter left under the door. He ripped the envelope open and began reading to himself:  
  
Dear, Ross  
  
You can't know how sorry I am about this. I never meant to drag you into this. But I don't really have a choice now. I know the last thing you need probably is a kid you don't know, but, it would be good if you get could get a bit used to him before I reveal myself to you. Please, do that. Once you have, you can contact me via e-mail at vixen-E@hotmail.com. Contact me only after you've gotten used to him.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Annonymous  
  
Ross paced back and forth for a while before racing over to Monica and Chandler's apartment to tell them all that had happened in the past 24 hours.  
  
"Oh my God!" Monica and Chandler yelled in unison. "Wh-how-whe-why-what?", Monica stammered.  
  
"Yup, there ya go," replied Ross.  
  
"What're ya gonna do, man?" Chandler asked with a concerned voice.  
  
"I don't know. I guess I'm gonna go e-mail this lady. I wanna find out what the hell is going on, and soon, before Rach and Emma get back. Rach is pregnant, I don't wanna cause her any more stress than she needs."  
  
"That's probably a good idea," Monica replied.  
  
"You can use my laptop if need to," offered Chandler.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Ross pulled up the laptop and logged into his e-mail account. The e-mail was short and brief.  
  
To Whom it may concern,  
  
I am Ross Gellar. The kid that was put in my care last night is now in an orphanage. I didn't know what else to do. What would you do if a kid you'd never seen before was suddenly thrown on your lap with no clue as to where it came from? So, sorry, I didn't recieve your letter until after I gave the kid up. And because of that, I'm sorry, but I'm not at all used to this kid. Now will you please tell me what any of this has to do with me, and maybe who you are?  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Ross Gellar  
  
Ross then ate dinner with Monica and Chandler to take his mind off of everything. They started watching a movie afterwards, but ten minutes into it, the laptop beeped, signalling that Ross had a new e-mail. Ross slowly got up to check it. There was one new message from VixenE@hotmail.com.  
  
Dear Ross,  
  
How could you have done this? This is terrible! We need to meet at once, it's urgent! Meet me in the coffee house you frequent with your friends in twenty minutes. Hurry!  
  
Paniced,  
  
Annoymous  
  
Ross got a bit frightened after reading it.  
  
"She says that it's terrible that I gave the kid up to the orphanage, and she wants to meet me in the coffee house in twenty minutes. How does she even know about the coffee house? She has to be someone I know or knew." Ross rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Excellent deduction, Sherlock," said Chandler.  
  
"Hey," Ross suddenly went into mental-gellar mode, "I don't need your sarcastic comments right now Chandler!" He paused, "I'm sorry, I'm just under a lot of stress. I gotta go."  
  
Monica and Chandler wished Ross good luck as he made his way out the door, down the stairs, into the coffee house, and into the shock of his life.  
  
To be continued... 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
The heat was way up when Ross walked in. Gunther gave Ross his trademark 'I hate you' stare. Ross didn't really notice. As he took his seat on the big orange couch in the coffee house, a British guy emerged as if from nowhere.   
  
"Psst!"  
  
Ross looked up.  
  
"Are you Ross?"  
  
"Yes, who the hell are you?"  
  
"She sent me here. I'm a friend of hers."  
  
"Well why isn't she here?"  
  
"She didn't want to the conversation you're awaiting in such a public area. It's sensitive information. Just give your address and apartment number, I'll tell her what they are, and she'll be at your door in an hour."  
  
"This is insane. All of it. No."  
  
"Hey, I think you want to find out where this goes."  
  
"Do you know?"  
  
"No. But the way she's so nervous, she doesn't get this nervous unless it's about something very important."  
  
"I...", Ross sighed.  
  
Hesitantly, he gave his address and number to the guy. He headed back to his apartment in a daze.  
  
***  
  
Tippity-tap, tippity-tap, that was the sound Ross's fingers were making on the table. He had had one too many cups of coffee while waiting and was now loaded with caffine. It had been nearly an hour and a half. Where was she? Is this all some kind of joke? Ross kept wondering if he was being punked and if Ashton Kutcher was gonna jump out from behind the curtains any minute.  
  
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK  
  
Ross was startled out of thought as there was suddenly a knock at the door. Ross walked nervously, slowly to the door. Sweat trickled down his hand as he turned the doorknob. Ross felt sick as the door opened. Sick and in shock when he realized the woman standing there was nonother than Emily Walthom.  
  
"...Eh..eh...Emily..."  
  
"Hello Ross."  
  
"What..how..huh?"  
  
"Ross, I know nothing makes sense right now, but you've got to let me explain."  
  
"Oh, I've got to. Why? Are you sure you want to tell me whatever it is you're about to tell me? I mean, considering what your last words to me were?"  
  
"What were they?"  
  
"That you couldn't trust me. I said the marriage wouldn't work if you couldn't trust me, you agreed, I asked if you could trust me, you said no. That was the end of us."  
  
"That wasn't the last thing I said to you, the last thing I said to you was the night before my wedding, I left you a message asking if I was making a mistake, to which you didn't respond."  
  
"Oh, would you have responded, Emily? I had just finally been able to get over you after a month of being miserable because of you, why would I have wanted to see or talk to you at that point?"  
  
"I don't...it doesn't even matter Ross, you have no idea."  
  
"No idea what?"  
  
"No idea about the truth!"  
  
"What truth!?"  
  
"THE truth, the same reason I'm here right now!"  
  
"Then TELL me already!"  
  
"FINE!...fine...do you remember on the day of our wedding, after you said the wrong name, and I locked myself in the bathroom, then I left?"  
  
"No, I don't remember Emily, of course I do."  
  
"Ok, well, Ross, I was taking a pregnancy test in there. I had a suspicion the night before, I felt like I had missed my period. I was going to ignore it, but I felt like when you said..said HER name, it was a sign..or something..just that the wedding shouldn't have been happening, that maybe I was pregnant. I was scared, Ross, I was scared you'd run off with her and not be a good father, so when the test came up positive, I jumped out the window, literally, and did whatever I could to cut you out my life. I was so afraid you'd run away that I decided not to give you the chance."  
  
Ross gulped.  
  
"Wait," he started hoarsly, "wait, are you telling me, that Timmy..is...Emily, did I give my own son to an orphanage this morning?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh my God!"  
  
"Exactly, so now we have to get him back."  
  
"What the hell do you mean we? Is this my fault? If you had been honest with me six years ago none of this would be happening. You were the one that lied to me, that never even told me I had a son, that married another guy with this knowledge, that..and you expect me to just put everything on hold to go find this kid?" Ross nodded his head, "Does that seem fair to you? No, I can't deal with this right now. Goodbye, Emily."  
  
Ross closed the door in Emily's face. As Ross sat down on the couch, Emily barged back into the apartment.  
  
"Ross, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything, but you are going to have to start caring about this kid, you HAVE to find it in your heart to forgive me and do the right thing, you HAVE to. Do you realize you haven't even asked me why I'm here now, why I'm telling you this now?"  
  
"I guess I thought guilt drove you to it, but maybe you're not capable of guilt, that's my bad. Alright, tell me, why are you telling me now? And why do I HAVE to find it in my heart to forgive you after all you did? And WHAT is the 'right' thing?"  
  
Emily was tearing up now.  
  
"Ross, I have a brain tumor the size of a golf ball. It's malignant and completely inoperable. I have less than six months to live, and I've been told to get my affairs in order. The guy that I married left me when I told him that Tim was yours. Do you know what that means? When I'm gone, Timmy either goes to his father or to his grandparents. Do you think I want him to be with my father, with whom you can only use the term 'sanity' losely, and my drunken witch of a stepmother? Ross, I love Timmy more than my life, and I will not let him grow up with those people. I've come here to ask you forgive me and to take care of Timmy when I go. That's why I"m here, that's the right thing to do, and that's why you HAVE to find it in your heart to forgive me."  
  
Ross had a blank look on his face.  
  
"So...you...are terminally sick...and you want me to be primary caretaker for the kid I just found out I had?"  
  
"Yes, Ross."  
  
"Uh, this is just a lot to take in at once Emily. You're gonna have to give me some time to think about this."  
  
"Fine. I guess I'll go get Timmy out of the orphanage now. I'm New York indefinitaly. You know my e-mail address. Here's my phone number and address of where I'm staying."  
  
She scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Ross.  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Ok."  
  
Emily walked down the hall, shaken up, as Ross looked on, absolutely clueless as to how he was going to handle all this.  
  
To be continued... 


End file.
